Hi!
I need urgent advice regarding my situation, which is that I have been on maternity leave and receiving the parental allowance from Kela, which has just ended. When applying for the home child care allowance, the lady handling my paperwork at Kela adviced me to apply as well for continued unemployment benefit from my union as it would be higher than what id receive from Kela.(I had received 40 days of Unemployment benefit before my maternity leave started, and my Union suspended payment as i could not receive both parental allowance from KELA and unemployment benefit from them at the same time.)
When i contacted My union they told me theyd would need permission from Unemployment office, and thus asked me to contact them.I did, and was basically told that i cannot receive unemployment benefit until i reactivate my status with them as a full time job seeker, Meaning that i would have to get by on Kelas Child care allowance only til then.
My question thus is, does anyone know how it works,as my concern is that i do intend to find a new job, but at the same time wouldnt want to take my 8 month old baby to daycare yet untils she is at least a year or a year and a half.Would reactivating my unemployment status give the employment office the right to make me go back to work immediately should any be found..without considering the Baby issue\?
Mu understanding is that i need to be primarily the one searching for a job but am wondering whether the Unemployment office does too? meaning i cannot turn down any offer that comes from them?
Please advice, and thanks in advance.